Page 100 of Christmas at the Movies
‘So does Priya.’ Sam kissed her husband on the cheek. ‘See you back home, hon.’
‘Is it OK if Sarah and I hang out in here for a bit?’ Pari asked Mateo.
‘Make yourselves at home,’ said the star.
When they were alone, Pari kicked off her ankle boots and lay down on the sofa. ‘I’m exhausted. I flew in on the red-eye from LA.’
Pari’s job sent her back and forth across the pond several times a year. She had recently opened an LA office of her agency. Ironically, if Sarah took the job for Noa, she might actually get to see more of her best friend.
‘Noa offered me a job,’ Sarah confided in Pari. ‘In LA.’
Pari swung her legs off the sofa and sat upright again,suddenly wide awake. ‘Oh, wow – that’s incredible. He must be really impressed with you.’
Sarah helped herself to a grape from an enormous fruit basket on the coffee table. ‘He wants me to work on the script for his next movie.’ His passion project was about a classical musician who could see the future when he played the piano, and had to stop the world from impending disaster. The working title wasFugue State. ‘And he’s interested inThe Ghost Writertoo.’
Pari leant forward in anticipation. ‘What did you say?’
‘That I needed to think about it.’
Sarah had been thinking about it nonstop. She could picture herself writing in a Spanish-tiled house with a swimming pool in the back garden, and taking long walks along the Pacific coast. She and James had visited LA on their honeymoon. She’d loved the warm weather and relaxed vibe.
‘What did James say?’ asked Pari.
‘I haven’t told him yet.’
Pari quirked her eyebrow. ‘What’s up with that? You guys are so tight – you normally tell each other everything.’
‘I just haven’t found the right moment. And anyway, what’s the point? It’s not like I could accept the offer.’
‘Why not?’ demanded Pari.
‘We’ve got the cinema, the kids are still at school, and there’s my mum …’ Sarah could think of a million reasons why it wasn’t possible.
‘Those aren’t insurmountable problems, Sarah,’ said Pari. ‘They do have schools in California, you know.’
Holly would probably jump at the chance to move to Los Angeles. But Nick hated change. And James would never abandon the cinema. It was like a shrine to
his father.
‘Promise me this,’ insisted Pari. ‘Whatever you decide, make sure it’s what’s best foryoufor a change.’
Sarah nodded.
Pari shook her finger at her scoldingly. ‘And if you ever finish your own script, don’t sell it to Noa without consulting me first. You need an agent to get you the best deal.’ Then she let out a big yawn and lay back down on the sofa.
‘I’ll let you nap in peace.’
Sarah went inside the cinema and found James frowning at his laptop.
‘Where have you been?’ he asked crossly. ‘Holly’s been back ages.’
‘I was catching up with Pari,’ she explained. ‘She came to check on Mateo. What’s up?’ She already knew it wasn’t anything good because a muscle in his cheek was twitching – a sure tell. Her husband could never be a poker player.
‘That bloody generator surged and caused a power cut this morning,’ moaned James. ‘It blew out the whole cinema and completely messed up our software system. I had to cancel Golden Oldies and I’ve only just finished resetting it.’
‘Oh, dear,’ said Sarah. ‘That’s so annoying. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to help.’
‘Well, at least they’ll be gone soon,’ said James. ‘And not a second too soon.’
